Chapter 30
Alex
Alex had been trying to reach Elena for hours, to no avail.
In the car, her gaze had been sad but determined.
That night, she had made an important choice, one that concerned them both.
But more than anything, a choice that would define her future.
She had kissed him. A kiss that felt like goodbye.
Knowing it might be the last time drove him mad.
Alex tried to call her again and again. He knew she was ignoring him.
Elena had her phone with her; her Spotify was on.
For over an hour, she'd been listening to the same song over and over.
When he saw that it was To my youth, Alex knew something was up.
She always listened to it when she felt like her world was falling apart.
He let his head fall back on his pillow.
The pillowcase still smelled like the cherry blossom perfume she loved to wear.
From the start, Elena had made it clear that she had a choice to make: fight to move on and be with him, or stay stuck in the life she'd led so far.
Why did everything have to be so complicated?
He wanted to be with her, no matter what her choice was.
Even if she decided not to fight. Things were never that simple.
Not for Elena. She found it important to get through this stage of her life before starting another.
And now that she'd moved in one direction, Alex knew he'd lost her.
All his fears had come true. Elena had decided to move on without him, leaving him alone and miserable.
But he didn't know how to give up. After all they'd been through together, he didn't want to.
Even if he had to fight or get down on his knees to convince her to stay, he wouldn't let her go without doing everything he could.
So Alex kept calling, expecting to hear her voicemail again. Against all odds, she picked up.
“Hello?”
It wasn't Elena, but Maura.
“It's Alex. Is Lena there?”
“Yes.”
“Can I talk to her?”
“Not right now, I’m afraid.”
Alex heard her breath tremble, as if she were searching for words. The silence felt endless.
“I'll give you the address of the hospital. Come and see us whenever you like.”
Without giving him time to reply, she hung up.
For a while, Alex remained inanimate, unable to react.
The hospital. Elena was in the hospital?
What could have happened in such a short time?
They'd only seen each other a few hours ago.
The worst possible scenarios ran through his mind.
He grabbed his keys and dashed down the stairs.
“Where are you running to?”
Lexi poked her head out of the kitchen and frowned. As always, she knew something was wrong. Alex couldn't pretend when it came to Elena.
“What's wrong?”
“Lena is in the hospital.”
“Why?”
He felt so powerless. “I don't know.”
His mother quickly embraced him. “Drive carefully.”
Arriving at the hospital, Alex bumped into Maura near the elevators. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Dark circles dug the skin under her eyes. She looked ten years older overnight.
“When I told you to come, I didn't mean right now.”
Elena's mother beckoned him to follow her to the cafeteria.
At first, he walked in silence, expecting Maura to explain, but like her daughter, she was the type to lose herself in her thoughts to the point of forgetting the world around her.
Alex jumped from one foot to the other. He wanted to run and join Elena, but Maura was taking her time.
Long seconds passed before she realized Alex's agitation. Maura smiled sadly.
“There's no point in hurrying. She's unconscious.”
His anxiety rose a notch. How bad had the evening gone?
“What happened?”
“I don't know.”
Tears glistened in her blue eyes. She who was always so stoic was on the verge of collapse. Maura put down her cup of coffee; her hands were shaking too much.
“In the middle of the night, Elena turned the radio in her brother's room up to maximum. Frank and I went to see what was going on, and she started provoking him,” she explained, running a hand through her auburn hair.
“It was as if she wanted him to attack. I thought he was going to kill her. Why would she do such a thing?”
Maura burst into tears. Alex felt his heart drop.
Elena had decided to face her demons, just as he had done earlier.
She had made her choice. Alex was her choice.
He'd never thought it possible to feel as miserable as he did now.
The person he loved most had risked her life to be free. To be with him. Maura looked up at him.
“Alex, why would my daughter do this?”
“She wants to be happy.”
***
Lexi paused in his doorway.
“There's someone at the door for you.”
Alex’s heart raced. Was it Elena? Had she finally woken up?
Lexi shook her head, a sad look on her face.
She, too, was waiting for news on her condition.
When he'd gone to the hospital, Elena had been unconscious.
Maura had forced him to go home, promising to call as soon as she woke up.
He'd insisted on staying, but she hadn't let him.
Alex went to the front door. One look at the person standing there, and he shook his head, ready to close it.
“Wait!” Kelsey begged, taking a step towards him.
Alex crossed his arms; he’d never liked her. That pest had made Elena so sad. He didn't want to waste his time with her. Especially not now.
“Please, at least tell me how she's doing.”
Worry distorted her harmonious face. For an egocentric bitch, she sure looked bad.
Alex looked over her shoulder and noticed Tiago waiting in his car.
Alex had wondered for months what he saw in her.
He loved one-night stands and easy relationships, and yet Kelsey had been with him for ages.
Alex didn’t get it. She was shallow and selfish, the exact opposite of Elena.
Sweet, sweet Elena. His eyes burned, and he took a deep breath.
Tiago nodded encouragingly. Alex rolled his eyes, then stepped aside.
Kelsey widened her eyes, but hurried into the house before he could change his mind.
They settled on the sofa, and Alex waited for her to talk. Her presence alone put him on edge.
“How's Lena?”
“She looks like someone who almost got killed by her own father. How do you think she's doing?”
Kelsey's hands trembled. When she realized Alex was watching her, she hid her hands between her thighs.
“What happened? Frank's always been crazy, but he never tried to kill her before.”
Alex huffed.
“You seem strangely shaken for someone who willingly let her best friend down in a situation like this.”
Kelsey’s eyebrows went up. He wasn't going to spare her. She deserved someone to give her a piece of mind.
“You show up here whining supposedly because you're worried about her, but where were you when she needed you most? Don't think I didn't see how you treated her. When she was at her lowest, you let her down because it was the easiest thing to do.”
Kelsey shook with sobs, and her face twisted. Suddenly, there was nothing cute or harmonious about her face anymore.
“You're right. I was awful.”
Alex had to strain his ear to understand what she was saying, she was crying so hard. Was she having regrets?
“I was so hurt that I ignored Elena's feelings, even when I knew she needed me. I was mean and selfish, and I’m sorry. She didn't deserve that.”
“Then why did you leave?”
Huh. She cared for Elena in her own weird, unhealthy way.
“She looked too much like Mick.”
“You... resented her because she looks like her brother?”
It was twisted. Like, really twisted. Alex was speechless. Elena really knew how to surround herself with peculiar people.
“I didn’t resent her, but she reminded me of him constantly.
Her smile, her eyes... Mick was my best friend for over ten years, and he was my first love.
I tried to be there for her, but I couldn't grieve for her brother.
How could I move on if she constantly reminded me that I'd just lost one of the people I loved most?
“You realize that she, too, lost one of the people she loved the most, right?”
Kelsey lowered her eyes, but nodded nonetheless. She bit her thumbnail nervously. A bad habit he'd seen far too often in a certain ballerina.
“Do you think she'll be able to forgive me?”
“Maybe, but know that you’ll be torn to pieces. That’s for sure.”
“By Lena?”
“I don't think so.”
“... by you?”
Alex sniffed. Even though she'd told him everything that had been on her mind, Kelsey still seemed afraid of him. She should be. He wasn't going to let people hurt Elena anymore if he could stop them.
“Not if you treat her right.”
The girl frowned, unsettled, but straightened her shoulders. There was a certain determination burning in her eyes.
“I guess I'll get what I deserve.”
She stood up, and Alex walked her to the front door. Kelsey turned back to him. She offered him a sincere smile.
“Thank you for your time. Let me know when she wakes up.”
Alex nodded, trying to return the smile. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Tiago was smiling too.
“I will.”
***
Elena didn’t wake up, and the doctors were becoming less and less confident about her condition.
What if she didn't wake up? What if the after-effects were too great and the doctors had been negligent?
Things were not going according to plan.
Of course, she wasn't dying, but her sleep could still last for a while.
Maura was at work, leaving Alex alone in the hospital.
His head weighed a ton, and his eyes burned.
All these months, he'd had this feeling that something bad would happen.
Even so, Alex hadn't been prepared for this.
He missed his friend. His whole life had revolved around sports and going out.
Around surviving. Nothing else had ever mattered until this dancer found her way into his life, becoming the person he loved most.
“Where am I?” croaked a faint voice.
Alex’s head went up, and he met Elena's confused face. Without wasting time, he ran down the corridors to call the nurses.
***
Days passed without Alex being able to go to the hospital.
Elena waking up had been a delicate situation, and the doctors had asked him not to disturb her.
When he entered the hospital room, she was asleep.
The purple marks that decorated her neck were turning yellow.
Once seated, all the tension of the past few days subsided. His eyes were tingling.
“Why are you crying?”
Alex gasped. Elena's face lit up when she saw him. Despite the still visible bruises, she was glowing. Alex rubbed his eyes with his sleeve.
“I'm relieved you're finally awake.”
“Trust me, so am I.” She sighed, a wry smile on her lips.
“What you did was irrational and dangerous. There were other ways to get out of there.”
Elena let her head fall back against the pillows.
“I know. I guess the mix of alcohol and sadness didn't help me think clearly. At least now it’s over.”
He wanted to say how reckless she'd been to risk her life like that, how worried he'd been. Seeing her alive and relieved, it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that she was here, now.
“How do you feel?”
“Like someone who almost died of asphyxiation. The hospital food, on the other hand, is disgusting. As soon as I get out of here, let’s get some bubble tea.”
She beckoned him closer, and Alex took her in his arms. He still couldn't believe she was back, even if she'd only been unconscious for a few hours. Elena hugged him back. Everything would be all right for them.
“I really thought you weren't coming back.”
“Of course, I would have come back. I'll always come back for you.”
Alex raised his head. His tears flowed more freely. He always felt vulnerable with her, in the best way possible.
“Don't be so cheesy.”
“But you're very taken with my cheesiness.”
Elena gently rubbed his cheeks, never ceasing to smile.
“I mean it, Alex. You're my better half. Nothing can keep me away from you.”
When his tears kept falling, Elena laughed, ruffling his hair.
“What a softy! You look like I'd just told you your puppy died.”
“I'm sorry, I...”
“Never be sorry for having feelings.”
Alex lay down beside her. Now that she was here, he wouldn't let her go.
“Where's Frank?” Alex wondered.
He had to know. Elena rested her head against his shoulder.
“In jail. He won't get out in the next few months. And then he won't be able to approach us, according to the lawyers.”
“Is that what you were trying to accomplish the other night?”
Elena nodded. She'd managed to get the bastard away from her for good. All by herself.
“So, it's all over now?”
“Yes.”
Alex kissed her temple, and Elena pressed herself against him.
“I'm proud of you.”